Two old friends won the $14 million New York Mega Millions last month. Unlike the brothers in the story below, they claimed it quick! Via HuffingtonPost

Don't get confused about deadlines for claiming your tickets. They are vastly different for the lottery and scratch cards.

Two brothers from central New York claimed a $5 million scratch-off ticket from a game 6 YEARS earlier. They had just 11 days before the cutoff point to claim it for the "$500 million Extravaganza" game.

While most lotteries like Mega Millions and NY Lotto expire up to one year after the draw, scratch-off tickets usually expire a year after the game is retired.

It's important to have your tickets checked as early as possible. I often check mine the day after the game, or at the latest during the next weekly game purchase.

Why did the brothers wait so long to claim? Apparently one didn't want the windfall to influence his engagement and subsequent marriage.

For more information on ticket deadlines and checking, see these posts: